Dragonjaw Mountains
The Dragonjaw Mountains are mountains in Thesk. These peaks rise starkly on Thesk’s southern border, forming a sheer wall against the Sea of Dlurg to the south. In the west, the range forms a sharp peninsula called Cape Dragonfang, which ends in a tall mountain called the Dragon’s Tooth. Sailors use the peninsula and the Dragon’s Tooth as landmarks. The Dragonjaws separate Aglarond from Thesk to the north. While relations between the two countries are generally fine, both are happy to have a bit of distance between them. For Aglarond, the Dragonjaw Mountains are another natural defense against the forces of Thay or other invaders, preventing armies from crossing the River Umber or the Sea of Dlurg. The northern coastal settlements face only a few small fishing villages across the watery gap, hugging the sheer faces of slopes that drop rapidly into the sea. Only the Tannath Mountains and the Tannath Gapare considered part of Aglarond. The rest of the mountains belong solidly to Thesk. The Dragonjaws stretch from the Umber Marshes west into the Sea of Fallen Stars, although the broad Tannath Gap divides the range near the center. The tip of the western peninsula is known as Cape Dragonfang, and it is a useful navigational point for sailors on the Inner Sea. Creatures of all sorts call the Dragonjaw Mountains home, but only one settlement of any serious size exists there: the city of Milvarune. On the northern shore of the Sea of Dlurg, right at the bottom of a steep and narrow pass that cuts through one of the thinnest parts of the range, Milvarune is bounded by mountains on three sides and by the sea on the fourth. Rock gnome clans inhabit the whole Theskian part of the Dragonjaws.These gnomes avoid strangers and ambush anyone who resembles a Thayan. They farm alpine meadows and caverns, and mine the mountains for riches, which some of them trade in Milvarune, Ethvale, and Phsant. The Dragonjaws are unusually rugged, even as mountains go, so the gnomes have mastered the art of cultivating narrow terraces that cling to the steep slopes. They are also miners of great skill, and they trade precious metals and gems in exchange for goods they can’t fashion for themselves, as well as foodstuffs that do not flourish in their mountain homes. A few of the gnome mines scrape copper, iron, and other metals from the ground, but the most successful ones chip up diamonds, rubies, and emeralds from the Underdark. Copper dragons live on the Dragon’s Tooth in the west, as well as a forked peak called the Old Swords in the east. These dragons range over the Dragonjaws, brooking no draconic rivals. Filauxerimos, an ancient copper dragon, is the patriarch of this loose clan. He and his kin keep a watch against Thayan advances, and they might prove to be allies of Aglarond. The dragons are known to enter annual joke-telling competitions with the gnomes. Category:Mountains Category:Locations in Thesk Category:Locations in Northeast Faerûn